Thursday, March 7, 2013

So far we have been
having a great time here in Helsinki. We flew in on Tuesday and began our week
by getting off the plane, making a quick stop at our hotel and heading straight
to the rink. It felt good to loosen up on the ice and skate. After practice, we
took a peek at the competition arena and were impressed by the size of the
rink. The venue is enormous and the arena is decorated with pink balloons and
signs. This is the first ever ISU Junior World Championships and it looks like
this event is going to be huge! I am so excited and honored that we are a part
of it.

On Wednesday morning, we enjoyed the breakfast at the hotel. I
personally was a fan of the Finnish meatballs and fruit cocktail. All the
competing teams are staying at the same hotel which has given us the chance to
meet skaters from all around the world. We saw some of our friends on Great
Britain and befriended some skaters from South Africa. They told me it was the
first time many of them have seen snow (there’s a lot of snow here!) and it is
also their first competition. What an exciting way to debut their programs: at
the Junior World Championships! We had a good time bonding and hopefully we
will continue to meet some more skaters throughout the week. After breakfast we
had another practice where we worked on sections of our long and short
programs. We were satisfied after skating and later on we headed into town to
do a little shopping. Many of my teammates bought “Luhta” jackets, a popular
Finnish brand. I think they look very stylish in their new clothing. We ate a
delicious dinner at Stone’s Pub to end the day and took a tram ride back to the
hotel.

This morning we had a quick unofficial practice and this
afternoon we skated for the first time in the competition arena. The rink is
olympic sized and the ice feels perfect. We skated solid run throughs of both
of our programs and are feeling confident for the competition tomorrow. Tonight
ended with the opening ceremonies. The show was a circus theme and was an
incredible experience. There were acrobats, hula hoopers, pairs skaters and
lots of synchro teams. During the circus show, the announcer said, “It looks
like there’s magic in the air.” I couldn’t agree with her more. I definitely
think this will be an unforgettable experience and a once in a lifetime
opportunity. I can’t wait to take it all in with my teammates and compete
tomorrow! Wishing great skates to all teams!